Apparatus, method and system for decision making to support network selection for multicast streams in hybrid networks

摘要

The disclosure details the implementation of an apparatus, method, and system for an network selector for datacasting in hybrid networks (NSDHN). In one aspect, the disclosure teaches an efficient delivery decision mechanism that takes into account efficiencies that may be achieved by employing one network delivery system over another for any given area. In another aspect, the disclosure teaches how to dynamically select the bearer for IP multicast data delivery in hybrid networks. Also, the disclose teaches a network delivery selector based on Simulated Annealing and genetic algorithms. The network delivery selector provides an extremely fast mechanism to establish an optimal delivery bearer dynamically. This allows the network delivery selector to combine unicast, multicast and broadcast network bearers in the same hybrid network to exploit their combined best properties and serve as many users as possible. Further, the disclosure teaches various objective functions that can be optimized by the network delivery selector including spectrum maximization and cost minimization. The network selection mechanisms may employ the various objective functions to provide and serve as starting points for one another. These starting points provide approximations of network capacity and allow for dynamic and very rapid computation and direction of streaming and other datacasts across hybrid networks.